2011 Achievements

This year I kept better track of my builds and which theme(s) they were associated with. I also was able to achieve a few other goals for my hobby:

• I started a blog of my Spitfire builds;
• I participated in 2 Group Builds;
• I completed 9 Spitfires/Seafires; my goal was 10 and I expected to get 8 back in October.

In order of construction, here they are:

Hobby Boss Spitfire Mk Vb, EP312 / D-K, personal mount of WC Dereck Kain, Edku, Egypt, 1944. Not a “bad” kit, but if you source the landing gear covers (mine came from a Revell Mk Vb), a new prop (Quickboost), and a new canopy (I used the kit one) it looks the part. Total cost is higher than it should be, given the aftermarket needed to make it acceptable. I’ll not do another. Dark Green, Dark Earth, Azure. Markings from spares and masks.


Airfix Spitfire Mk IXc, 4th PS, 52nd FG, Corsica, January 1944, F/O Bob Hoover. I didn’t correct the kit like I should have as I didn’t realize the inaccuracies. This is a great kit to learn on, inexpensive and accurate in overall shape. Earth over Light Blue. Decals by Rising Decals (72-019).


Airfix Spitfire Mk IIa, P7308/XR-D, 71 “Eagle” Squadron, P/O Bill Dunn, 27 August 1941. I finally got a new tooling Mk I here in the US and got the 3D-Kits Mk II conversion set at about the same time. I decided to make a IIa and try both out, since I liked the DFS in transition. Much has been said about the kit and conversion set, I’ve since purchased a half dozen more kits (the Mk I/II boxing) and the LR conversion from 3D-Kits. For the price this kit is an excellent basis for anything from an early Mk I to a Mk Va. Dark Green, Ocean Grey, Medium Sea Grey and Sky.


Airfix Spitfire Mk IXc (early), MA585/KH-B, 403 Squadron RCAF, P/O George Beurling, 1943, (September Theme, “Canadian Bacon” and Spitfire Group Build online). My second attempt at the new tooling Mk IX, this time I corrected the kit by backdating the elevators, removed the wheel well bulges and sourced 5-spoke wheels. I also improved the cockpit with a better seat and column. Decals came from the Canadian IPMS sheet for RCAF aces. Dark Green, Ocean Grey, Medium Sea Grey & Sky.


Airfix Spitfire Mk I, R6595, 610 Squadron, RAF, Biggin Hill, August 1940, (Airfix Group Build online). Another “old school” build, I decided to take my old 1979 tooling and make it a quick build like I would have back in 1979. Another subject chosen because of the history and with a unique scheme (too large unit markings and fin flash backwards). Hand painted Dark Green, Dark Earth and Sky; decals are from an Aeromaster Sheet on the BoB (72-028).


CMR Spitfire Prototype K5054. I’ve quite a few of CMR’s Spitfires & Seafires to fill in my gaps. This is a lovely kit, it went together very quickly and I must say I’m getting much better at the vac canopy. Overall Light Grey-Blue (I used RLM 76).


CMR Seafire FR.47, VP459, 179/P, 800 Squadron FAA, HMS Triumph, Fall 1950 (November Theme, “Land of the Morning Calm”). While I believe the Spitfire to be the most beautiful aircraft ever designed, the Seafire FR.47 is nearly my favorite of the line. In this livery it’s very attractive and the slim lines of the original Spitfire are taken to their limits. The only challenging portion of this build was the prop -- I wanted it to turn and may just replace it with a set that is permanently fixed. The vac canopy was no trouble at all.


Airfix Spitfire Mk I (early), K9794, WZ T, 19 Squadron RAF, Duxford August 1938. Responding to another modeler who attempted to build their new tooling Spitfire and experienced an awful mess, I documented and shared my build as part of the same Airfix Group Build. I decided to complete it with spare decals from a CMR Mk I, as this was a scheme I wanted in my collection; albeit very close to the kit scheme.


Fujimi Spitfire FR XIVe, 2 Squadron, 2nd TAF, RAF Wunsdorf, Germany, 1947. I began this build based on Paul Lucas’ excellent Camouflage & Markings, RAF Fighters 1945-1950 Overseas Based. Using period photos that appear to show a very dark scheme he surmised these were FR XIVe in the low-level recce scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey, Extra Dark Sea Green over PRU Mauve. Alas, more recent research indicates that while authorized, no FR XIVe were painted thus, and all were delivered in a modified DFS of Dark Green, Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey with a Night spinner. A fairly easy build, I had to modify the tail wheel to be retractible and open the starboard camera port. My first use of the newer Tamiya paints for the DFS.

Those last 3 will get their own postings soon in order to provide the usual details.  I failed to complete the MPM Spitfire FR Mk XVIII, but December was just too busy for me. 

I also got my other blog started, focused on all my models, not just Spitfires.

Thanks for looking.

“Land of the Morning Calm”

CMR Seafire FR.47

Vickers-Supermarine Seafire FR.47, VP459, 179/P, 800 Squadron, HMS Triumph, 1950

Introduction

I’d longed for a Seafire FR.47 for years; I was tempted to get the old vacform by Rareplanes but kept putting it off.  Mainly due to cost as it was a rare kit to find but also because the other Rareplanes kit I’d built back in the early ‘90’s didn’t come out too well; which somewhat scared me off vacs for a while (but that's another story as they say).  I was not aware of the Ventura kit from down under until recently, when Jays began re-releasing them.  

So when CMR released their resin kit I was very interested.  While the price was steep, I was willing to buy, but had no experience with resin kits.  So, off I went to find a low cost CMR on sale somewhere to gain some experience.  I found them at WestCoastHobbys, lower cost than eBay and much lower than the US distributer.  After a few builds were behind me I purchased the FR.47 and this year decided it was time to actually make it.  I had some good stock of accurate paints and the kit came with the exact scheme I wanted.  Plus, my local club decided to acknowledge the 60^th anniversary of the Korean War with a theme for November, "Land of the Morning Calm".

The Aircraft

When the North Koreans invaded the South HMS Triumph was operating in the western Pacific. Her, along with some US carriers were quickly dispatched to Korean waters to provide air support to the UN forces retreating down the peninsula. 

800 Squadron was onboard with the last embarked Seafire squadron and provided escort to her Firefly strike aircraft as well as providing some light strike capability as required. Additionally she received tasking to escort B-29s as they bombed targets in the north.

It was on one of these early B-29 escort missions that B-29 gunners fired on their escorts – they looked too much like the attacking Yak-9’s – that the FAA began applying Night/White identification stripes to the wings and empennage. 

By late Fall, 1950, the air wing was tired and needed relieving. HMS Triumph returned to England where 800 Squadron proceeded to trade in her Seafires for another Supermarine product, the Attacker.

Reference:  Spitfire the History, Squadron in Action, Warpaint Series No. 20, On Target Profiles 5

The Model

CMR make just about every Mark of the Spitfire and Seafire in 72nd scale, from the prototypes (both variations of K5054) through to both the Spiteful and Seafang. If one wants a very accurate model of their subject, CMR can provide it; however the buyer must know that accuracy comes with a price. CMR kits are expensive but in my opinion are well worth it. The detail is exceptional and even my feeble attempts are made to look that much better.

After cleaning up the resin by removing the parts from the pour-stubs and washing them with liquid hand soap I was ready to paint.  Generally I use an airbrush and shot everything with interior grey-green (albeit I use Tamiya XF-21 Sky as it looks more "scale") and then painted the night/black areas with Mr Color Midnight Blue.  I feel this color has that bluish tinge to it that Night should have, plus it is more of a dark gray color, so I use it for props and other areas calling for Night.

I bent all the PE for the cockpit into the right shapes, really a simple affair and it came out so well I almost went against my own policy of never opening up the cockpit.  I drilled out the prop shaft location at the nose to ensure my contra-props would spin, more on that later...

The fuselage went together very easily, requiring almost no filler.  One reason I like these resin kits is that I can use a strong solvent like acetone to smooth seams after filling and it doesn't affect the resin or detail.  The wing was test fitted and as I've found with CMR kits don't glue the lower fuselage seam until the wing is on because it may need some sanding or fitting of a spacer to make it fit just right.  This kit was no different as the forward fuselage between the leading edge of the wing and the nose didn't quite fit properly.  If I closed up the seam then there was a wide gap at the wing roots forward; if I eliminated the wing root gaps there was a gap under the nose.

So after studying drawings and photos it was obvious the wing roots should have no gaps and the nose should have not gap either; meaning a slight V-shaped gap existed with the pointy end of the "V" was forward.  After getting everything aligned I ran some super glue and made it all permanent.  Then filled in the "V" with plasticard and filler.

To allow my props to be removed and also to spin (young hands always want to spin the prop!) I always glue a sheet of plastic about an inch from the nose inside the fuselage.  As mentioned earlier I also drill out the prop shaft location and before I put the wings on I glue a tube that can take a rod, usually a 16th inch rod into a 8th inch tube with a 16th inch inner diameter (of course).  Unfortunately the contra-prop meant I needed another tube with an 8th inch inner diameter.  Unfortunately I had nothing with a small enough outer diameter to fit inside the Seafire's nose, so off to the hardware store.  Eventually I found a brass sleeve for something or other related to plumbing that was perfect.

The CMR kit comes with a choice of either individual blades for the spinners or fully build up props/spinners.  I'm not real good at prop alignment so I decided to use the ones CMR build up for me.  After cleaning the flash off they look okay, but could be better.  I may build those spares up someday and swap them out; easy enough since I make my props removable and able to spin!  

After priming and minor cleanup of imperfections I shot the entire model with Humbrol 90. This is actually an older tin of Super Enamel that is a very good match to Sky. Newer tins produced by Hornby are not quite the same color, unfortunately. So I use my Humbrol 90 sparingly...

I then masked off the areas for the stripes, shot the white and then removed all the tape to let the paint cure for a week. Next weekend I masked the stripes and lower surfaces and with a mix I found on the internet for Tamiya paints, I shot the Extra Dark Sea Grey (EDSG). That mix, by the way, is: "to 50 parts of XF24 dark gray, add 6 parts XF2 white and 3 parts XF8 flat blue." It looks right to my eye, not having that greenish tinge some paint makers insist is EDSG or the very dark gray that is near to a version of Night.

After all the paint had cured well, a good week, I decided to use a technique a member of my club swears by: spit. Okay, what that really means is an old cotton t-shirt rubbed on the surface with some spit to moisten it. There's just enough friction to buff the paint up to a nice satin finish without affecting the detail or wearing through the paint. It was smooth enough not to require any Future/Klear as an undercoat to the decals!

The kit decals were very thin and went on with Micro-Set (blue label) followed by a quick dash of Micro-Sol (red label) after they'd dried to ensure they settled completely down into the recessed panel lines. Remaining details were put on and the final piece remained: THE VAC CANOPY. My nemesis...

I tackled the canopy by trimming it down to what appeared to be the canopy frame outer mold line. First using very coarse sanding sticks and progressing down to fine until I was taking almost nothing off with each swipe. I then tried a dry fit and to my disbelief it fit the first time! Perfect. Painted the framing with Night, used a wooden pick to clean the edges, then painted the EDSG. Dipped it in Future/Klear to make the clear canopy really pop. On it went with Gator Grip -- I love this stuff as it dries quick and clear. A quick drill for the whip antennae, which is just a short piece of invisible thread, and she was done.

All-in-all about 30 hours of modeling spread over 3 months. I'm pleased and it enjoys a place of honor, at the front and at eye level.

Thanks for looking...

2012 Goals

Okay, 2011 was a very good year for me.  Nine Spitfires/Seafires completed!  I've got an ambitious 2012 planned as I've indicated over on my other blog; but only 5 Spitfires/Seafires are in the mix:

• CMR Seafire XV
• Airfix Spitfire Va (new tooling)
• Airfix Spitfire II LR (new tooling)
• Airfix Spitfire IXc (new tooling)
• Sword Spitfire Vc

I've got a Sword Mk XVIe on the way, and I may put that in and take out the Airfix Mk IXc.  It all depends on my progress with the others, the Airfix kit is so easy/quick it's almost a weekend build.  Of course, I have that box of parts waiting for me to carve and glue a Spitfire Mk III from, but I still have quite a bit of information gathering to do on that one, like paint scheme and where exactly to cut the wings, for starters.

Thanks for looking...

CMR Spitfire Prototype K5054

Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Prototype, K5054, post modifications after first flight

RAF Pageant, Hendon, 27^th June 1936, “New aircraft No 2”

It's now 75 years after the iconic Spitfire first flew and as a fan I thought it appropriate that I add the prototype to my shelf. I'm not one to make prototypes or one-offs but decided I needed to make an exception. Interestingly, it's beginning to make me pine for related efforts, such as the Mk III, IV, and of course the Spiteful/Seafang line. 

The Aircraft

K5054 is a rather iconic aircraft.  R.J. Mitchell’s design as a Vickers private venture with Rolls-Royce in response to a poor initial design for RAF fighter specification F7/30.  That initial design had fixed landing gear and a gull wing looking much like a single seat Stuka.  Its performance was very disappointing so of course the RAF were not interested.  In 1934 R.J Mitchell was challenged to design something better, ignoring the RAF specifications (which were too restrictive) and taking full advantage of the knowledge at the Supermarine firm.  

On initial roll-out and first flight on 5^th March 1936, K5054 was not painted, the aircraft having a green tinted preservative on the fuselage and wings, the engine panels were unpainted and the fabric surfaces were all covered in aluminum dope.  The Air Ministry was suitably impressed with the performance and issued a specification drawn to K5054, now F37/34).  

Mitchell wanted to make some minor improvements and on 19^th March 1936, coming out on 26^th March with the Mk I style rudder, landing gear doors, a smaller engine intake and a paint job.  She was finished in a blue-grey color, the actual shade is lost to time and much conjecture exists around it.  Publicly unveiled on at Eastleigh on 18^th June then sent to Hendon for the RAF Pageant, where the number “2” was added.

On 27^th June, 1936 at the RAF Pageant, Hendon, spectators got to see both new aircraft for the RAF, No 1 being the Hawker Hurricane and No 2 being the Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire.

Reference:  Spitfire the History

The Model

CMR make the Spitfire prototype in both configurations, first flight on 5^th March and RAF Pageant on 27^th June.  The kits are not the same because of the detail differences between those two dates.  CMR have a reputation for very good accuracy, lots of detail and ease of construction (for a resin kit).  This was no exception as construction was fairly straightforward and did not take long.

Cleanup was quick, the cockpit being mostly photo-etch with some resin and with superglue the fuselage was together over a weekend.  The wing is one piece and with some fiddling alignment was perfect, very little filler was needed.  The nice thing with resin is that I can fill it, then use a cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover and clean the seam with zero sanding and no damage to the underlying resin.

Detail parts were added and the most time consuming item was the vac canopy.  It is very clear and with patience fits perfectly.  While I could have opened the side hatch and canopy this would have been difficult and I typically don’t, so decided to keep it all closed.  The vac canopy being so thin allows some good views inside.

I used Gator Glue on the canopy, first time trying and frankly it was a dream.  Worked very well, filled in the joints and after painting looks very nice.

After priming I decided to look for the proper paint.  The range in descriptions are:

• French Blue-Gray
• Rolls-Royce automotive Blue
• RLM 76 Hellblau
• USN Intermediate Blue (1943 color)
• USN Blue-Gray (1942 color)

There is little help on the web as it seems nobody agrees on the color, and the range of colors for the above are nearly infinite.  Nobody seems to agree on what French Blue-Gray looks like and the RR Blue is similar.  I pulled jars of the 3 paints I had and RLM 76 looked good so I used it.  After it had cured, I put a light gloss coat of Future, decals went on with no trouble and I sealed with a final coat of Future as photos show K5054 had a glossy sheen.

All done in just a few weekends, how I like my builds. Definitely a winner and of course a must for any Spitfire fan. Now to get on with that Mk III...